The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-05-19
Democratic Doctrine.

The following resolutions relating
to National affairs were adopted by
the Democratic Convention recently
held in Kentucky:
I'VE declare our confidence in the
integrity and conscientious devotion
to duty of President Grover Cleveland,
aud congratulate the country and the
% rty upon the accession of Il Demo
cratic admit: istratiOn, National, eco
nomic and clean and We particularly
applaud the President for the fidelity
aud courage with which he has pro
tected the Treasury from pillage by
his exercise of the veto power.
We favor honest civil service reform,
by which we mean the enforcement OF
the faithful performances by Fersona
appointed to Office or all public duties
intrusted t0them, and to this end. as
we'll as to the maintenance ofthe spirit
of our representative form of govern
ment, We demand the strictest meas
ure of personal and party responsible
ity, and are opposed to the substitution,
in room of this, of life tenure, a civil
pension list, and all other appendages
of q bureaucratic system foreign to the
genius of our institutions and people.
We declare the honest money of the
constitution good enough for the peO.
pie as expressed in gold and silver and
paper convertibleintOc coin on demand;
and opposed to all sumptuary laws.
We contend that there are already
on our statute books sufficient general
laws having local application to pro-
tect the public morals without ipfring
ing on private rights.
We symrathiZe most earnestly with
tho people of Ireland in their struggle
for local self.government,a land we unite
with the friends of liberal progress ia
all parts of the world in denouncing
the cOersive measures now pending i'll
the British Parliamentas a mOnstrOus
crime against brave, generous and
long-sufering people, an obstruction
to human freedom, abhorrent to the
spirit OF liberty III every land.
We view with alarm the growing
tendency among certain classes of cit
izsns To seek the aid and bounty of the
General Government, and AS an Incl
dent of this tendency to enlarge the
powers granted and to multiply the
powers never contemplated by the
constitution, aud we reassert the time
honored Democratic doctrine, that ''all
powers not delegated to the United
| States are reserved to the States re-
spectively, or to the people"
We denounce the present war tariff,
laid to confuse, as well as to harass the
people, rs a masterpiece of injustice,
inequality and false pretense. 1t has
been maintained by a selfish and false
theory of protection, which rObs the
many to enrich few. 1t has piled
up in the National Treasury surplus
which menaces the prosperity of all
classes and every industry. We de
mand the immediate reduction Of this
war tariff, not merely as an act of re
dress to the people promised by all
parties, but as the only cafe and just
method of reducing the surplus and
in making such reduction, we d. mand
further that the taxes shall first be
abolished or lowered upon the neces.
saries of life. and, finally, we re-asser1
the constitutional and Democratic
doctrine that taxes should be levied
exclusively for public purposes. ano
limited to the requirements of the
Government economically admins
tered,u